Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Â
Citation preview
DREAM, Inc., under the auspices
of the Mississippi Office of
Highway Safety (MOHS), and with
monies made available by NHTSA,
absorbed the
Mississippi Youth
Highway Safety
Programs in October
2012. This program
has been previously
coordinated by the
MOHS. Recently,
state staff came to
recognize the
conflicts that occur
when running a
program, while also
monitoring and
evaluating it. MOHS
graciously allowed DREAM to
coordinate the program while they
continue to oversee and monitor.
The partnership thus far has
garnered much public support as
DREAM and Mississippi Office of
Highway Safety present a united
front against the dangers of youth
impaired driving and the benefits
of seat belt safety on the road.
The Mississippi Youth Highway
Safety Programs is a statewide effort to
reduce youth crash injuries and
fatalities and promote safe driving
decisions. Program
staff includes Tawni
Basden, Youth
Programs Director;
Alex Cantrell, Youth
Programs
Coordinator and the
newest addition to
our team, De’Marco
Fomby, Youth
Programs Specialist.
This ‘DREAM Team’ of
professionals has a
true passion for
guiding today’s youth
to tomorrow by keeping them safe on the
roads. The Mississippi Youth Highway
Safety Programs are being evaluated by
a PHD level evaluator, Dr. John
Bartkowski, who has extensive
experience evaluating youth programs.
Stay tuned for program results to be
disseminated in annual programmatic
reports and on our website.
DREAM, Inc. Welcomes the Mississippi Youth
Highway Safety Programs (MYHSP)
Caption describing picture or
graphic.
Inside this issue:
Student Advisory
Board—BOOM!
2
Rock the Belt, Walk
the Line, Save a Life
2
DREAM Launches
MYHSP at
Mini-Summit
3
2013 Teens on the
Move—Be an
Everyday Hero
3
State Farm’s:
Celebrate My Drive
4
May: Global Youth
Traffic Safety Month
4
Community Events 5
January—April 2013 Volume 1, Issue 1
Funder Recognition
and Contact Us
6
A Newsletter from the Mississippi Youth Highway Safety Programs @ DREAM, Inc.
The Mississippi
Student Advisory
Board (SAB) is
elected by the
Mississippi Youth
Highway Safety
Programs (MYHSP)
staff through an
application and
interview process
which includes
essays, teacher
recommendations, and an
example of fresh ideas they
can bring to the table. A
diverse, creative, and
committed group of
approximately 30 teens is
chosen to serve on the board
for one year. Their main
goals and objectives are to
develop leadership skills,
plan two major
conferences centered on
highway safety, and learn
different ways to cultivate
highway safety strategies
among their peers and
within their schools and
communities. They meet
one weekend a month to
brainstorm ideas for
keeping their peers safe on
the road, plan Teens on
the Move and Club Officer
Training, and keep the
MYHSP staff aware of the
trending dangers to youth,
all while cultivating
supportive friendships
with each other and
having fun. Some of their
activities include
evaluation of a mock car
crash trauma for a local
hospital, prevention
training, and
implementation of
statewide conferences
and Rock the Belt, Walk
the Line in Mississippi
communities. The 2013-
2014 SAB application is
out and due May 15,
2013. SAB Application
link: http://
www.dreamincevents.org/images/
application.pdf Good luck!!
Walk the
Line is an
effective activity implemented
by the Mississippi Youth
Highway Safety Programs staff
to demonstrate to youth the
dangers of driving impaired.
Students wear drunk goggles
and attempt to “drive” on their
side of the duct tape road
while another “driver” does the
same in the opposite lane.
Rock the Belt is a fun, competitive activity
used by the Mississippi Youth Highway Safety
Programs staff to remind youth that
wearing a seat belt is the cool thing to do.
Groups of students compete against each
other to see who can fasten their seat belts
in each seat of the car correctly and quickly.
The fast-paced game is played with up-beat
and trendy music and is a great reminder to
drivers and passengers alike that seat belt
safety can be fun and life-saving.
While this activity has been
practiced all over the state, there
has not been one student who has
not either crashed into another
student, run off the road, or killed
a “pedestrian.” Participants learn
very quickly that impaired driving
can be a life-ending decision. We
want youth to think before they
drink.
Mississippi Student Advisory Board (SAB) — Leading the Way
Rock the Belt, Walk the Line, Save a Life
Page 2 Mississippi Youthline Newsletter
“I’m a great driver
because I am a
SAFE driver. I was
on the Board
before I started
driving, so I know
better.”
Leah Gibson, SAB
senior
SAB reminds peers to “Keep
Calm and Stay Sober ” during
National Drug Facts Week.
To apply for SAB,
please see contact
information on page
6. Applications are
due May 15, 2013.
Picture Above: The event
took place at the
Mississippi Ag Museum on
March 8, 2013. It was held
to educate the public about
the program and encourage
partnerships with local busi-
nesses, agencies, and
organizations.
DREAM, Inc. Hosts Mini-Summit Sponsored by State Farm
To Launch Mississippi Youth Highway Safety Programs
The 2013 theme was
“SuperSavers: Be an
Everyday Hero” to get the
point across that driving
sober and wearing a seat
belt is a daily decision that
can save.
24th Annual Teens on the Move
Changes Definition of the word HERO
News crews, DREAM staff,
volunteers, and the SAB all
cheer loudly to usher in
approximately 2,000
Mississippi students and
advisors.
Speakers, Cara Filler
and Shaun Derik, take
pictures with the SAB
and MYHSP staff. Cara
spoke on her twin
sister’s fatal car crash
and inspired many to
make safe decisions,
while Shaun spoke on
a friend’s death from
impaired driving.
Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1
“If you like
it, then you
should put a
belt on it…”
Pictured Left: Shirley Tho-
mas, Director of MOHS,
and Pat Tucker, NHTSA
Region 6 Program
Manager, pledged their
commitment and support
of the SAB and their ef-
forts.
Campbell’s
Bakery designed
delicious
highway safety
themed cookies
and cupcakes.
Pictured Right:
Glenda Crump,
CEO of DREAM,
pictured with
State Farm
Agent Robin
Covington.
The 2013 Mississippi
Student Advisory Board
provide entertainment
and education with
skits and current,
trendy song lyrics
rewritten to focus on
smart highway safety
practices.
Attention Club
Sponsors:
Is your school committed to
keeping teens safe on the
road? Your school can
participate in Celebrate My
Drive®, a program that’s all
about celebrating the fun of
getting your driver’s license
while helping you drive
safely so you arrive safely.
What’s really sweet about
participating in this program
is you can also help our
school win a $100,000
grant….and possibly a
concert by a chart-topping
music artist right here in our
own town! It’s simple:
Log onto celebratemy-
drive.com
Indicate you want to
support - insert your
school name here
(online)
Commit to drive
safely!
Make a safe driving
commitment once a day,
every day, between October
18 and 26. The more safe
driving commitments we
make, the better chance we
have to win $100,000 and
host the concert. Tell your
friends and family who are
age 14 and older to get
involved too!
Thanks for your support of
Mississippi Schools and our
teen drivers.
Remember, 2N2:
2 eyes on the road,
2 hands on the wheel.
This program is funded by:
Page 4
Mississippi Youthline Newsletter
For teens across the country, May holds a special sort of hope. It is a month that promises sunny
days, spring sports games, graduation, and end of school year celebrations. It is also considered
the deadliest month for youth fatality crashes. So, naturally, May is the perfect time to recognize
as the National Youth Traffic Safety Month. Teens face a number of challenges on the road, and
as one of the busiest months for youth, May needs to be a month considered not only for its fun
activities, but also for its safety. National Youth Traffic Safety Month is a reminder for young
drivers to develop safe driving habits on the road, and for older drivers to act as highway safety
mentors and role models. Check out the National Organizations for Youth Safety website,
www.noys.org, or call Tawni Basden at 601-933-9197 for more information about how you can
get involved.
Page 5 Volume 1, Issue 1
Mississippi Youth Highway Safety Programs participated in community events,
conferences and youth presentations throughout January—April 2013:
Tawni Basden and Sgt Jon Weeks, National
Guard Counterdrug Task Force/ Civil
Operations Program Manager, collaborated to
present highway safety messages during a
church teen conference in Jackson, Mississippi. Tawni and Alex present in Olive
Branch at the National Honors
Youth Technical Conference on
youth highway safety program
initiatives: impaired driving
and seat belt safety.
Piney Woods Youth Safety Fair
Pictured Right and Left:
Provine High School
Safety Fair
MDOT Safety Fair
Warren-Yazoo
Gateway MAP Youth
Coalition Youth
Highway Safety
Training
East Jones County High School Mock Crash
Jalyn Conner, SAB
member from Noxubee
County, posed for a cut out
to promote seat belt safety.
Is that Jalyn or the
cut out?
Man Up: Buckle Up!
Thank you to our Funders and Support Team
Tawni Basden
Mississippi Youth Highway
Safety Programs Director
601.933.9197
Alex Cantrell
Mississippi Youth Highway
Safety Programs Coordinator
601.933.9191
Like our Facebook and YouTube
Pages:
Mississippi Youth Highway Safety Pro-
grams:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/
MississippiYouthHighwaySafetyPro-
grams
Mississippi Teens On the Move:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/
MississippiTeensOnTheMove
Mississippi SADD:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/
Mississippi-SADD/390810944336011
Mississippi Youth Highway Safety
Programs YouTube Page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7JBtNp8CJvI
Contact Us
De’Marco Fomby
Mississippi Youth Highway
Safety Programs Specialist
601.933.9164
future. The funds they provide supplement
the existing grant in such helpful ways we
could not have foreseen. There have been
several times within the past few months
that the funds State Farm has provided has
added that special touch for several events.
State Farm also provide funds for a core
program that the MYHSP staff will
implement this year called Celebrate My
Drive, which is a celebration of a teen’s
safe choices behind the wheel as they
exercise their independence on the road.
We also received a special grant from
Nissan to be able to further our youth
highway safety programs. This week, we
were excited to find out that MOHS re-
ceived the Ford Driving Skills for Life grant.
This grant will enable the MHYSP to provide
further support to Mississippi youth as they
learn to drive and practice safe driving
habits. We feel very fortunate to be able to
work with so many entities that support
and focus on youth highway safety for
Mississippi youth!!
We cannot thank our funders enough for
their support of Mississippi youth. They
don’t just hand over a check. They are
hands on, knee deep in the work that
must be done in order to save today’s
youth from making fatal mistakes on the
road. This work could not be done
without Pat Tucker, NHTSA Region 6
Program Manager; Shirley Thomas, MOHS
Director; Sandra Moffett, MOHS Alcohol/
Outreach Division Director II, and Agnes
Willis, MOHS Alcohol/Outreach Program
Manager. They are up with the sun and
will not stop until every youth has been
reached. The men and women of NHTSA
and the Mississippi Office of Highway
Safety have formed a healthy, supportive
relationship with DREAM, Inc. and the
Mississippi Youth Highway Safety
Programs that has and will continue to
foster success in the education of
highway safety to today’s youth. A
special thank you goes out to Emily Clark
and her State Farm team who believe in
today’s youth and share DREAM’s passion
to help them survive the road to a bright
SAVE The Date:
September 12,
2013
Jackson,
Mississippi
